Ballard Homes-For-All Coalition
From Sustainable Ballard
The Ballard Homes-For-All Coalition (BHFAC) is a group of concerned community members seeking to assist homeless people in Ballard who need and want the safety, shelter, and basic services necessary for a stable life. There are many homeless people in Ballard who require access to services such as mental and physical health care, hygiene facilities, drug dependency treatment, transitional housing assistance, work training, etc. Currently there are few if any such services available in the Ballard community.
Sustainable Ballard has joined BHFAC and shares in the belief that being a sustainable community means reaching out and caring for each other, homeless and housed alike. It is our hope that with a stable living situation and community support, homeless residents can find the help they need to obtain long term housing, hold down jobs, and have access to services such as healthcare.
The first major project of BHFAC is to plan and establish a model Residential Safe Parking Program (RSPP) for people living in their cars which will include basic hygiene facilities and off street parking under the care of a local church. See BALLARD HOMES FOR ALL COALITION: CAR CAMP PROJECT for more information.
For general information, please contact:
- Jean Darsie, nwcitizen@comcast.net, 206-782-0788
For Press, please contact:
- Jean Darsie, nwcitizen@comcast.net, 206-782-0788
Advisor
- Vic Opperman, vic@sustainableballard.org, 206.650.7646
To sign up for updates, visit the Yahoo! group:
RLUIPA
What is RLUIPA? RLUIPA is short for Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000. RLUIPA is designed to protect religious assemblies and institutions from zoning and historic landmark laws that interfere with their religious free exercise. The law was passed unanimously by both houses of Congress in the summer of 2000 and signed into law by President Clinton on September 22 of the same year. RLUIPA protects individuals and religious institutions, including churches, mosques, and synagogues, in their use of land and buildings for religious purposes. The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) is a powerful tool to protect the religious rights of individuals and institutions in the use of their land and buildings.
Congress passed the Act in response to widespread discrimination against religious institutions exhibited by many zoning and landmarking boards. In many cases, home worship meetings and Bible studies have been prohibited, church soup kitchens and homeless shelters have been closed, churches have been prevented from remodeling or expanding worship space, and religious assemblies have been denied the opportunity to build in a locality altogether —all in the name of land-use regulation.
But now that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act has become law, religious groups have a powerful new tool on their side. Under RLUIPA, government officials and zoning boards must now give due deference to the rights of religious groups to use their property and carry out their ministries in a manner that furthers their religious missions.
More information about RLUIPA at: www.sidley.com/db30/cgi-bin/pubs/RLUIPA book 2003 v2.pdf